WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 13, 2014) – WTA applauds Senator Tim Johnson (SD) for introducing the Public Safety and Economic Security Communications Act of 2014, which would strengthen the ability of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to address problems with voice calls not being completed in rural areas of the country.

Senator Johnson’s bill would require all intermediate providers of voice communications services to register with the FCC and comply with service quality standards established by the FCC. For several years, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of telephone calls not being completed in rural areas mostly due to the use of least cost routers that, at times, do not terminate calls in rural areas because of the cost.

“We’re grateful for the hard work Senator Johnson and many of his colleagues have put in over the years on this issue,” said Derrick Owens, WTA’s Vice President of Government Affairs. “We believe Senator Johnson’s legislation complements the work being done at the Commission on call completion and that it provides additional assurance that all calls will be completed with a high quality of service. Having a phone call reach its intended recipient has been a basic standard of our communications network for decades. We urge the Senate to take up this legislation and pass it.”